Drawing from baroque sensibilities, James McGrath is ever engaged with layers of historical imagery, digital media and traditional art making. Behind the illusion of light and shadow that play in the folds of his drapes, religious and mythical themes reflect Baroque theatricality. His works are in themselves ocular mirrors of the past, specimens of natural history and sensuous 17th-century paintings.
McGrath was introduced to painting as an assistant to Australia’s most celebrated expressionist painter, Arthur Boyd. He has produced stunning digital installations and videos commissioned by several Australian museums and subsequently presented at the Los Angeles J. Paul Getty Museum. In 1999 and 2000 his work was included in the Sydney and New York film festivals. McGrath has exhibited in New York, London, Sydney, Hong Kong, Toronto and Paris. His work has been commissioned for public and private spaces all over the world, including Taipei, Beijing, Majorca Spain, Tel Aviv, Melbourne, Sydney, London and New York. McGrath has lectured in architecture at New South Wales University, where he was awarded the Australian Postgraduate Award.